Can I tell you a secret?

I recently met up in Manhattan with a girlfriend who works in the foodie world, and she let me in on a sweet (and spicy) secret: Union Square Cafe has some of the city's best most beloved bar snacks--and they're not easy to come by.

We were having a late lunch on a Saturday at the Vietnamese joint Bao, and afterward, had a little time on our hands. So, naturally, we decided to grab one more glass of wine (the best use of found-time in my book). She casually mentioned that she had "heard that Union Square Cafe had a really good bar." So we steered toward the cafe--and little did I know that we weren't going for the wine...we were going for the mixed nuts.

And oh, these aren't just any mixed nuts. These are nuts that you have to know about to even get a taste. For one, they're not on the menu and you can only ask for them at the bar. You also have to know that they're only made once a day, that they're served warm between 4:45 - 5pm, and that when they're gone, they're gone. But once you know about these scrumptious bar snacks, you know that it's totally worth all the hoops you have to jump through to get them.

Unless you're my friend. Being one of the most in-the-know foodies that I know, she also shared the secret to getting around all these complications: make them at home using the cafe's special recipe (which she also just happens to know).

And now we do, too. Enjoy!

Union Square Cafe's Spiced Nuts

Assorted unsalted nuts (cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)

2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (or when you start to smell them). While the nuts are roasting, place cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, rosemary, and butter in a bowl. After nuts are roasted, pour them into the bowl and toss (the heat from roasted nuts will melt the butter). Serve. Swoon.